Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2003 - 55

and

lore
LEGENDS
in usitt HISTORY
A conversation
with
Henry Tharp
by richard d. stephens
As we study history, often there is a tendency to
search for "watershed" moments; single actions or decisions that change or shape all
subsequent events. Perhaps it is the influence
of our thirty-second-sound-bite culture that we
desire to express events in these simplest of
terms. It is quick and sexy. And it is convenient. When such moments can be identified
they make the explanations of who, what,
when, where, and why much easier to comprehend and communicate.
However, it is my experience that careful
examination of such seeming watershed events
often reveals that they are much more like a
volcano. The eruption is spectacular and obvious. But the causes that have led up to the big
event have been brewing and percolating for
years just below the surface, gradually producing the irresistible pressure that ultimately results in the highly visible explosion. But the
rub is that since these influences are largely
behind the scenes, their importance and influence are often the subject of hot debate among
historians. And therein can lie the real fun of
studying our history.
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Regardless, one thing is certain: Whether
an event "turns on the dime" of a single decision or was the result of a string of influences,
that event changes the course of history forever.
In the history of our Institute such a moment was, in this author's opinion, the 1980
conference that was held in Kansas City, Kansas, at the Glenwood Manor Convention Center. And like the volcano, I feel certain that
many forces, large and small, conspired and
percolated to lead to the eruption in the Heart
of America during the Institute's twentieth anniversary conference.
What were the influences that brewed and
bubbled beneath the surface? Well, during our
last installment of this series dealing with the
1979 conference in Seattle I detailed numerous growth factors of the time: the proliferating number of regional sections (sixteen are
listed in the spring 1980 issue of TD&T); the
decentralization of Institute leadership; the
burgeoning trade show; and creation of discipline-based commissions. These all combined
to precipitate an unprecedented decade of

growth during the 1970s.
But I would submit for your consideration that perhaps the watershed event (or at
least the match that lit the fuse) was the fact
that the conference was returning to the Midwest for the first time since the St. Louis conference of 1973. Between St. Louis and Kansas
City, the conference destinations had been in
turn New York, Anaheim, New Orleans, Washington DC, Phoenix, and Seattle-all cities located around the periphery of the country. This
meant that in each instance substantial numbers of the membership would have to travel
more than half the width of the country to attend. Not only was Kansas City a major airline
hub, it was also within one day's drive for a remarkable number of determined Midwesterners. Factor in that the Glenwood Manor was an
oversized but modestly priced motel in a Midwest city, and conference registration was
$40.00 and included an excellent steak dinner
at the banquet. Now you had a conference that
many could attend for under $300.00!
And so the pressure continued to build,
but like the volcano it remained quietly beneath

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